


Midnighters

by traitorhero



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Tumblr Prompt, and Clay is just a bit insane, the one where Desmond and Clay are thieves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-04
Updated: 2013-04-04
Packaged: 2017-12-07 10:18:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/747392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/traitorhero/pseuds/traitorhero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Desmond and Clay are thieves. The voices in Clay's head often help out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Midnighters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheWritingMustache](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWritingMustache/gifts).



 

It always seemed like the plan was going to hell. That was when they knew they’d be safe.

Desmond had been the one to propose this particular heist. And Clay had agreed, thinking that it would be a laugh if they were caught. Two and a half weeks later, and he was surprised when it seemed like it was working.

Clay wasn’t sure why Desmond had wanted to steal the Hope Diamond. He was the more superstitious of the two of them. That said a lot, considering that the voices in Clay’s head made him more paranoid than a jackrabbit. Of course, Altair was the one who had cautioned against this heist, picking out numerous details in the security plans. Clay had passed those insights onto Desmond, who had refined their plan. He had even thanked Altair, which the Syrian had appreciated.

Desmond actually liked the voices inside Clay’s head, taking any change they would make in the conversation with ease. He made sure none of them did anything stupid when they took control of Clay’s body, and in return they promised not to kill him. (That was mostly Ezio. The Italian was constantly offended by Desmond’s refusal to let him go to bars and pick someone up. Clay was just glad he didn’t have any number of STD’s.)

He and Desmond nodded to the other guards as they walked into the museum. Clay tugged at his uniform slightly, trying to make it sit better on his shoulders. He hadn’t been the ones to order it, and Desmond always seemed to forget that he had wider shoulders. Before the annoyance could fully cloud his judgment, Clay felt Ezio slip over him, his walk becoming a swagger.

“What’s the plan?”

Clay could almost see the annoyance that settled on Desmond’s shoulders. The younger man turned around and glared at Ezio, who shrank back, allowing Clay control again. That was another reason Clay liked Desmond. He could make them go back if he wanted to. It was more control than Clay had over them.

“You okay?” Desmond asked quietly as they went into the guardroom. Clay gave him a small smile and nodded.

“Connor wanted to know if you needed his help,” Clay said.

“We have a plan,” Desmond reminded him, and through him, Connor. “We can’t afford to have this go to hell if one of them gets antsy. So, no, Connor, I don’t need your help.”

Clay felt more than saw the Native American nod in his head. He mimicked the motion.

Connor was one of the newest voices in Clay’s head. He had first shown up six months ago when he and Desmond had robbed a gang of Irish mobsters. Not that they had known they were Irish mobsters. Connor had singlehandedly taken down the enforcers and allowed them to get away with the claddagh ring that had caught Clay’s eye. (Thankfully no one had been killed, though if it had come to it, Clay knew Connor could snap someone’s neck with little resistance. He tried not to think too hard about it.)

He and Desmond fastened their stun guns to their belts and took two flashlights from the cabinets. (Altair measured the weight, noting that it would be a good weapon in a pinch. Clay again tried to forget that the voices inside his head were slightly psychopathic.) Desmond started on their route, meandering between cases and swinging his flashlight in sweeping movements. When no one else entered the room, he reached into his pocket and pulled out an orange filter, holding it in front of the light and directing it towards the case they wanted to open.

Clay glanced nervously at the cameras as Desmond reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a set of lock picks. The little blinking red lights were off, and would remain off until someone found the virus that he had planted in the system two days ago.

“Almost there,” Desmond said. Clay nodded absently, listened to Connor fret about how exposed they were. Ezio was disagreeing with him, pointing out that the display cases offered cover in case of a firefight. Altair had remained silent during the conversation, but Clay could feel that he agreed more with Ezio.

“Shit.”

Clay shook his head and looked over to Desmond, who had the Hope Diamond in his hand.

“Something wrong?”

“There’s a pressure sensor,” Desmond said, kicking the display case lightly. “It wasn’t in the plans. Silent alarm’s been tripped.”

“Do you have a Plan B?” Clay asked. That caught the attention of the voices in his head.

“Do you still have the replica?” Altair asked, taking control of Clay. Desmond nodded, pulling it out of his other pocket, slipping the real one into his other one.

“Good,” Ezio said. “Throw it on the ground beside the case. And sorry.”

Before Desmond could ask why Ezio was sorry, Clay’s flashlight hit the display case, shattering it. Before Desmond could block, Connor whipped his fist and hit Desmond, throwing him onto the glass strewn floor.  Altair then stumbled backwards, cracking the glass of another case with Clay’s shoulder. A few more stumbling steps towards the far entrance of the room, and Ezio pulled out his stun gun, firing it uselessly into the air as he collapsed their body onto the ground.

Clay could hear Desmond groan and let out a pained sigh himself as other guards entered the room. One of them knelt and helped him up, asking if he was feeling okay. Clay gave a thumbs up, his hand going to massage his temple. It hurt more when the voices switched quickly.

“You okay?” Desmond asked.

“Fine. ‘M gonna kill all of them, though. That hurt.”

Desmond gave a small chuckle. He said something to the other guards, before leading Clay towards the exit they had come from. It wasn’t hard to get outside and to find a car parked on the street. Clay leaned against the trunk as Desmond broke in and hotwired it. A few minutes later and they were driving towards the freeway, headed back to New York.

“Want to tell me why we almost got caught stealing a necklace?”

Desmond smirked and pulled the item from his pocket. (Connor remarked that it was a remarkable gem, even though it had been a lot of trouble to acquire.

“You know Rebecca, the girl who lives next door?” Desmond asked. “Her friend Lucy’s a detective with New York’s finest. Apparently she’s been getting the crap jobs because she pissed off her boss.”

“She was the blonde at New Years?” (Clay decided not to add Ezio’s comments about her rather nice attributes.)

“Yeah,” Desmond said. “The one I took out for drinks last week. She’s pretty nice.”

“You’re going to get both of us caught, dating a cop.”

“You’d get off on the insanity plea. And it’s not like they have anything to connect me to the heist.”

“So, all this for a pretty girl?” Clay inquired. Desmond grinned.

“I figure an anonymous mail package with our spoils should be enough to get her noticed by someone else.”

It worked, of course. Splashed across the front pages were pictures of the recovered Hope Diamond, along with the detective who was working the case. Desmond and Clay had laughed when a man stepped forward and claimed to have been the burglar. The courts found him guilty, and sentenced him to ten years in prison. Lucy ended up being promoted, taking her old boss’s position. She also said yes to a second date with his conspirator.

As for Clay, he found other diversions. One that included a stealing spree that stretched from Albany to Tampa. Strangely it coincided with the honeymoon of his two closest friends. Lucy had almost cancelled it when a Native American artifact was stolen from the hotel they were staying at.

(Connor, Ezio, and Altair continued to help with the crimes. If anything, they stopped them from being disasters. )


End file.
